Labor Day was first observed in the Philippines on May 1, 1903 when thousands of workers marched to Malacañang to demand fair working conditions. Some books that you can check out are Judy Taguiwalo’s Babae, Obrera, Unyonista; Ma. Luisa Camagay’s Working Women of Manila in the 19th Century; and Rosario Torres-Yu’s Welgang Bayan: Empowering Labor Unions Against Poverty and Repression. Of course, you can also check out Gantala Press’ own publications, Mamumuo: Mga Akda ng Kababaihang Manggagawa ng NAMASUFA-NAFLU-KMU, and Daloy: Collected Writings by the Filipino migrant women of Batis AWARE. We begin with an interview with Ka Nitz Gonzaga, current Vice Chairperson for Women's Affairs of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU). Studied under GABRIELA, Ka Nitz became an activist during Martial Law. She started out as an office secretary at National Federation of Labor Unions. At 80, Ka Nitz continues to fight for workers' rights especially those of women's.

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